1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum apparatus and a transfer apparatus for use with a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a manufacturing apparatus for a flat panel display, or the like.
2. Prior Art
In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor or a flat panel display, a work-piece such as a silicon wafer is subject to various kinds of processes such as etching, CVD, ashing, RTP, and dry cleaning. These processes need to be conducted in a clean and high vacuum, and, in order to obtain this vacuum environment, a large-scale apparatus is used when the work-piece is transferred to and transferred from the vacuum apparatus.
As a conventional apparatus of this kind, there is one provided with a load chamber for transfer to the vacuum chamber the work-piece from the outside under the atmospheric pressure and an unload chamber for transfer from the vacuum chamber the work-piece having finished processes to the outside. FIG. 9 shows an example of this vacuum apparatus.
In FIG. 9, a load chamber 701 and an unload chamber 702 are each arranged in contact with wall surfaces of a transfer chamber 703, which is located in the center of the apparatus. The transfer chamber 703 is, as shown in the figure, formed into a flat surface of a polygon shape, and is provided with a vacuum robot 704 in its center. Process chambers 705, 706 are arranged on the other wall surfaces. The process chambers 705, 706 are chambers for processing the work-piece, such as by a CVD process.
There are provided gate valves 707, 7-8, 709, 710 each having an airtight property in the walls which divide the load chamber 701, the unload chamber 702, and the process chambers 705, 706 from the transfer chamber 703. When the vacuum robot 704 transfers the work-piece, the gate valve 707, 708, 709, or 710 is opened. When the vacuum robot 704 finishes the transfer of the work-piece, the gate valve is closed to maintain an airtight environment. There is also provided doors 711, 712 each having an airtight property between the load chamber 701 and the unload chamber 702, respectively, and the outside. When a not-shown external robot or the like transfers the work-piece, the door 711 or 712 is opened. When the external robot finishes the transfer of the work-piece, the door is closed, exhaust is performed and pressure is reduced to a vacuum, thereby keeping airtightness with the atmosphere.
In the vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 9, when the work-piece is transferred to the inside of the load chamber 701 by the external robot or the like and the door 711 is closed, pressure inside the load chamber 701 is reduced to a vacuum, and thereafter the gate valve 707 to the transfer chamber 703 is opened. Then, the vacuum robot 704 inside the transfer chamber operates, and a first holder hand thereof (not shown) makes the work-piece inside the load chamber 701 be accommodated in the inside of the transfer chamber 703. Next, the gate valve 707 between the load chamber 701 and the transfer chamber 703 is closed, and the gate valve 709 between the process chamber 705 of a first process and the transfer chamber 703 is opened. At the same time, the vacuum robot 704 turns holding the work-piece, faces this gate valve 709 and stops its motion. Subsequently, the vacuum robot 704 accommodates the work-piece inside the process chamber 705 having finished the first process with a second holder hand thereof (not shown), and transfers to the inside of the process chamber 705 the work-piece before going through the first process, which is held by the first holder hand. Then, the gate valve 709 is closed, and the work-piece is subject to processing of the first process inside the closed process chamber 705.
With a similar operation to the above, the work-piece subsequently finishes processing of a second process (another process chamber 706), and in a state that the vacuum robot 704 holds the work-piece having finished the processing, the vacuum robot 704 faces the unload chamber 702. When it is confirmed that the unload chamber 702 is in a vacuum state, the gate valve 708 between the transfer chamber 703 and the unload chamber 702 is opened, and the work-piece is transferred to the unload chamber 702. Then, the gate valve 708 is closed and the door 712 is opened by making the inside of the unload chamber 702 be in the atmospheric pressure, and the work-piece having finished the processing is taken out to the outside by the external robot or the like.
The vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is suitable for mass production as described above. However, the operation of transferring the work-piece to and from the process chamber is complicated, and the apparatus is of large-scale, the cost of which is higher and requires a large space.
In addition, as a conventional apparatus of this kind, as shown in FIG. 10, there is known one provided with a load/unload chamber 801 for loading the work-piece from the outside under the atmospheric pressure and unloading the work-piece having been subject to the processing to the outside, which is interposed between the outside and a transfer chamber 802.
In the vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 10, when the work-piece is transferred to the inside of the load/unload chamber 801 by an external robot or the like and a door 803 is closed, pressure inside the load/unload chamber 801 is reduced to a vacuum, and thereafter a gate valve 804 to the transfer chamber 802 is opened. Then, a vacuum robot 805 inside the transfer chamber operates, and a first holder hand thereof (not shown) makes the work-piece inside the load/unload chamber 801 be accommodated in the inside of the transfer chamber 802. Next, the gate valve 804 between the load/unload chamber 801 and the transfer chamber 802 is closed, and a gate valve 807 between a process chamber 806 and the transfer chamber 802 is opened. At the same time, the vacuum robot 805 turns holding the work-piece, faces this gate valve 807 and stops its motion. Subsequently, the vacuum robot 805 accommodates the work-piece inside the process chamber 806 having finished processing with a second holder hand thereof (not shown), and transfers to the inside of the process chamber 806 the work-piece before going through the processing, which is held. Then, the gate valve 807 is closed, and the work-piece is subject to the processing inside the closed process chamber 806.
While this processing is performed, a new work-piece is set in the load/unload chamber 801, and pressure in the load/unload chamber 801 is reduced to a vacuum. The gate valve 804 is opened, and the work-piece having finished the processing, which is held by the second holder hand of the vacuum robot 805, is transferred to the load/unload chamber 801. The first holder hand makes the new work-piece be accommodated in the transfer chamber 802, and the gate valve 804 is closed.
Subsequently, the load/unload chamber 801 is made to be in the atmospheric pressure, and the door 803 between the outside and the load/unload chamber 801 is opened. Then, the external robot or the like takes out to the outside the work-piece having finished the processing.
The vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 10 for performing loading and unloading in one chamber is simpler, is obtained at lower cost and is more space-saving as compared with the vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 9. However, this vacuum apparatus has the transfer chamber and the load/unload chamber, and the vacuum robot in the transfer chamber requires a turning mechanism. Therefore, a large space is still required.
Further, as a transfer apparatus for a vacuum apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 5-26318, there is known a frog-leg type transfer apparatus, in which two arms connected in series in its joint are made to be a pair, a transferred body support portion is attached to the tip end of the one of the arms and the rear end of the other arm is attached to a base, to thereby move the transferred body support portion by bending the arm. This frog-leg type transfer apparatus does not have a turning mechanism differing from the vacuum robot. However, since the arm is bent in its shrunk state, space for portions overhanging in its left and right is required.
The present invention is made in view of solving the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum apparatus used for a semiconductor manufacturing process and the like, which is space-saving and provided at low cost, and a transfer apparatus, which is suitable for use in this vacuum apparatus or in other narrow space and is space-saving.